The present disclosure relates generally to gate systems, and more specifically to retractable gate systems that enable amusement park guests to enter and exit a queue.
Most amusement parks include attractions that appeal to the interests of a wide variety of audiences of park guests. The attractions include animated characters, amusement park rides, live shows, televised shows, roller coasters, and water slides, among various other amusement park attractions. During peak times (e.g., weekends, national holidays, and/or grand openings of new attractions), park guests may wait in a queue for a long period of time to engage with the amusement park attractions. In some cases, the path of the queue is not always well defined, causing confusion as to where the line begins and/or ends. For example, the path of the queue may be defined by cones that may be easily removed or a chain that may be easily crossed, compromising the integrity of the queue. In some cases, the gate defining the path of the queue may include a swing gate that may swing into the travel path of guests, thereby preventing them from entering and exiting the queue quickly, and/or compromising the speed at which guests can enter and exit the queue.
It may be beneficial to enhance the efficiency by which park guests identify the path of the queue, the speed at which park guests enter, exit, and/or pass through the queue, or the integrity of the queue to block people from jumping spots in line. Accordingly, it is now recognized that it is desirable to provide a gate system that may enhance the efficiency by which park guests enter and/or exit a queue leading to an amusement park attraction, while preserving the integrity of the queue (e.g., by making jumping a spot in line more difficult).